


Hate the Living, Love the Dead

by PokehTurtle, snapfreeze



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, F/F, Found Family, Gratuitous Violence, Gratuitous homosexuality, based on Earth geography, canon is slow roasted at 300 celsius while carly rae jepson plays in the background, heterosexuality? don't know her, team RWBY focused, warnings will be posted before every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-12-24 01:12:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokehTurtle/pseuds/PokehTurtle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapfreeze/pseuds/snapfreeze
Summary: Yang and Ruby are scavengers living in a world overcome with decay and the undead. When the sisters discover a young girl marked by death and an agoraphobic princess in white hires them for an extraordinary mission, a chain reaction is set off that will change the landscape of their simple, rotten lives forever.[Zombie Apocalypse AU]





	1. All Hell Breaks Loose

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS FOR: gore, of most kinds

When the apocalypse came in 2017, the people of Earth expected it to be nuclear, with rich men in their furnished bunkers pushing the big red button of absolute destruction while the proles had their skin burnt off and their existence wiped from the face of the planet. It was a fantastical image, full of mushroom clouds and massive tidal waves of fallout. It was so close to reality, a hair’s breadth from happening, that people tried to live in ignorance. Fantastical or not, it was a nightmare.

So when the rotters descended like a tidal wave of gore and flesh upon the unprepared, nothing could stop them. Europe had gone in a flash, with the East slowly decaying into chaos. The Americas had futilely tried to close their borders, but by the time they had, the infection had already reached their lands. The islands fared no better, as being isolated only made their own escape harder.

By this point, the Doomsday Clock had broke, its gears crunching to a halt as the hands slipped off its face.

In a matter of a week, the Earth had gone from debating the effectiveness of the nuclear deterrence theory to scrambling for protection and survival as they became their own worst enemy. The worst of them all were the zombie apocalypse preparers, who despite claiming to be adequately prepared for every scenario, were more focused on the ability to kill and the freedom to do so rather than survival. They had become bandits, and slavers. Those who didn't, fell to their own hubris or to the rotters. Morality went into the trashcan as chaos claimed its place as the rightful ruler of society. People eventually banded together to combat the anarchy.

The people who ultimately survived? Well, they were extraordinary. For better or worse.

\--------

They were somewhere in the depths of the German countryside, a heavily forested area that was shockingly alive with the sound of insects and birds. Despite the wonderfully green foliage surrounding them, a signifier of good weather, the heat was torture. Ruby and Yang had barely stepped out of their truck and within minutes, they were drenched in sweat. This was made worse by having to lay on the bed of their pitch black truck, their skin prime targets for the sun’s oppressive beams.

“It’s about four miles out. Wind is low, visibility is high, it’s a straight shot through and through.” Yang stated, trying to ignore the strong desire to take a shower. Ruby adjusted her sniper rifle’s stock pressed against her shoulder and Yang adjusted the sight on her binoculars. The rotter in the distance shambled around in another circle, lost as to where to go when there was no fresh meat.

“Gotcha.” The safety of Ruby’s gun clicked off with a satisfying metallic clank.

“Fire when ready.”

Ruby inhaled, and Yang held her breath.

A loud crack filled the air: if Yang were younger, she would’ve jumped, but she had long been used to gunfire sounding directly near her ears. Was she going deaf? Every time Ruby’s gun was fired, the ringing in her ears only lessened.

She watched as the rotter’s head turned into a red mist, before the body collapsed on the dirt with a wet thud. It wasn’t long until there was a murky coagulated pool of blood forming around the once again lifeless body.

Yang, in turn, let out a low whistle. Despite the rather dark connotations of evaporating someone’s head into mincemeat, the accuracy and skill Ruby displays will never cease to amaze her. Besides, it was important to maintain a sterling sense of humor in such a fetid world. “Nice shot, Rubes.”

Her younger sister beamed at this, flashing Yang one of her bright smiles. “Thanks, Yang.”

“Do you see anything else?” She went back to scanning the landscape with her binoculars. “I don’t see any more rotters.”

“That’s good.” With no rotters to shoot, Ruby put the safety back on her rifle and sat up. “How crappy does the mansion look?”

Yang refocused her binoculars, looking away from the redead corpse to the dilapidated mansion. Despite the rather burnt and unkempt look, it looked like it could provide a good source for an in-depth scavenging mission. This far out of the way and largely isolated, both Ruby and Yang had suspected that it would be a prime location for stockpiles and hoards. And if nobody was there to claim it, it was theirs now.

“It looks like it’s had multiple residents over the years, and that’s about it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and discover it was a bandit camp or stockpile, considering the location and all.” Yang sat up as well, taking the time to stretch and wipe away as much sweat as possible. It was already soaking through to her underwear, and she was pretty sure that the pair of them stunk to high heaven. “I think we can park the van under the tree nearby, keep it in the shade a little.”

“Yeah, I was about to say if we could get off the truck now, it’s burning my legs and stomach.”

As soon as Ruby said that, Yang noticed the incredible burning sensation on her behind. “That-- that’s a good idea, Rubes.”

The two sisters scrambled off the top of their van, causing Zwei to stick his head out of their window and look at them with his head tilted. Ruby, in turn, took on an affronted look.

“Don’t give me that look, Zwei, if you had to be outside instead of chilling in the van, you’d look like tomatoes too.”

Zwei simply wagged in response, and Ruby cooed.

“You’re adorable, I love you, and you’ve done nothing wrong, ever.”

Yang grinned at the interaction between Ruby and their beloved pet: Zwei had been nothing but a blessing ever since he came into their lives as a scraggly pup. As much as she wanted to sit and watch all day, they had stuff to do, and they had to eat at some point. “Ruby, get in the car. Can you check the weapons while I circle round?”

“Sure can do!”

They both clambered into the van, Zwei dutifully moving to the back seat so the humans can sit up front. As soon as Yang had turned the engine over, Ruby was already strapped in and checking Yang’s well loved pump action shotgun. While she already knew it was clean and working appropriately, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

The drive down to the mansion didn’t take long, despite various road obstructions and Yang driving so cautiously she would break at even the slightest rustle. The engine finally cut off, with them parked under a massive oak tree. The branches were thick and gnarled, free to grow to their full strength without human interference.

“The guns are good.” Ruby passed over Yang’s shotgun, and checked the cleanliness of her own machete. “Zwei, defend.” Zwei put on his serious face, moving to stand on the center console so he could see out all the windows.

They pulled their bandanas up their faces to prevent blood splatter from going into their mouths and other orifices, and donned eye protective wear. For Ruby, it was a pair of welding goggles. For Yang, it was the sweetest pair of aviators she had ever owned.

The only sound coming from the mansion was the groans and rattles of wood, the building a testament to an older time, well worn but still standing despite everything. Other than that, the sound of footfalls on dirt and their own breathing were the only noises. It was deathly quiet, and that unnerved Yang. If there was no groans of rotters, or no noise from the living, what were they to expect inside? Why was such a place abandoned?

As they approached the large wooden door, Ruby spotted something carved into it. She reached out and brushed her fingers over a design, bite marks with 3 claw slashes over the top of it. “Huh. Did we get any warnings of gangs or slavers working in this area, Yang?”

“Nope. I don’t recognise it either. Must be an old one, or this was their only base and they’re… _well_. Gone now.”

“Weird.”

Yang shouldered open the door and levelled the business end of her shotgun at the entryway. Absolutely nothing happened, apart from the door slamming against the wall, shuddering at the remnants of momentum left in it. Dust and dirt were kicked up and with the light streaming through the boarded up windows, it looked like one of those scenic films on the DVDs they got to watch sometimes.

Keeping her back to the wall, Yang sidestepped to let Ruby enter, who began sweeping to the right. Upon entering, the room seemed to groan at their weight and presence, and the sisters felt ever so small.

A feeling of something terribly horrid and vile wouldn’t leave either sister, like it was gripping the base of their spine and twisting through their stomach. The mansion just felt _wrong_.

“Remember to yell if you get overwhelmed, or find something of note.”

Yang smirked, the only positive feeling she had since stepping into this cursed land. “Sis, you know how loud I get. You’ll hear the gunfire first before I scream.”

The sisters split up. It was far easier to cover more ground and collect things faster this way. Yang left the entryway through the left, entering the kitchen and servant's quarters, and Ruby headed into the various living and entertainment rooms.

As soon as Yang closed the door behind her, the stench of rotting flesh and dried blood filled her senses, her gag reflex desperately trying to activate: she’d learned to suppress it after years on the job. On the preparation tables and on the counters were numerous disembodied limbs and more half-skinned heads than Yang liked to count. The gore burned into her eyes, imprinting itself along with the hundreds of other disgusting memories.

Moving past the disaster zone, Yang found plenty of boxes of cigarettes and stashed them into her bag. She left the ones that were drenched in blood; no one really wanted to smoke a gorey cigarette. Alongside the cigs was plenty of useable ammo and cleaning equipment. There was even a wind up radio, which Yang gladly took. She would’ve taken the knives, but honestly, Yang didn’t want to touch them even with a ten foot pole. Looking at them made her feel like she needed to chug a bottle of antibiotics.

She met back up with Ruby in the large dining hall at the back of the mansion and her sister looked just as pale.

“You get the gore too?” Yang asked, wiping her nose on her sleeve as though it would make the smell of hot, rotten flesh go away.

“Yeah.”

“What happened here?”

“I don’t think I want to know, Yang.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Clean clothes, books, comics, and ammo.”

“Cigarettes and ammo here.”

“Did we accidentally come across a stockpile?”

“I don’t think we want to be here when they return, _if_ they return.”

The mansion groaned again, wood creaking and groaning against the weight of the two girls, this time followed by a large crack. Yang and Ruby simply looked at each other, tensed, before the floor gave way. Ruby dived backwards, avoiding falling into the pit and landing on the hard floor with a heavy thud.

Yang, however, was not so lucky, as the floor gave out underneath her. Only her quick reflexes saved her from tumbling down, her arm painfully catching onto the doorframe. The splinters and remnants of the floor dug into her bicep as her grip kept her dangling.

Then she made the mistake of looking down, bile rapidly rising in the back of her throat.

It wasn’t the stench of death that got her, though it was strong enough that it felt like you could physically bite through it, it was the visuals. A pool of blood sat at the bottom of the pit, rotters swimming through the entrails of various beings, trapped with no way out. It looked like a fight club down there and Yang didn’t want to think about who the winners were, or what happened to those who lost. Occasionally, a rotter would step over a bone, hollow and old, and the cracking sound that emitted from the weight made every bone in Yang’s body hurt.

Eventually, the zombies reacted to the blood dripping down Yang’s body, adding to the pool below. It was like throwing meat into a pack of rabid dogs, all of them beginning to throw their weight towards the source. The frontrunners slammed against the wall, whatever left of their arms reaching up to grab Yang’s boot. One managed to get a good grip on it, a slimy rancid palm which caused Yang to kick out.

“Get the fuck off me!” Yang screamed, voice reverberating off the walls.

She lashed out with enough force that the rotter was knocked back, falling on its ass and toppling over a few others. With the brief reprieve, Yang pulled herself up, yelling as she sliced her arm further. She could feel her flesh tear and wood burrowing into her skin, blinking away drops of blood that threatened to blind.

“Yang!”

“Ruby! I’m just cut, not bitten! Check upstairs, barricade the door, and then we’re leaving!”

Ruby sprinted up the stairs, going as fast as her little legs could take her. Yang, however, left the building immediately. She kept her arm raised to stem the blood flow as best as she could. From a brief glance, it looked like the wound wasn’t too deep, just gnarled and long. It’d probably make a cool scar.

Running past the open door, Yang launched herself into the cab of the truck. She kept her back to the seat, eyes constantly checking the windows for any sign of rotters coming after her blood trail.

Zwei had not yet moved from his position on the center console, except now his tail was low and ears back. Whether that was because his owner was in trouble, or he could smell something she could not, Yang didn't know.

With her good arm, she reached over and pulled the hefty first aid kit next to her. It was old, but it had served them well. Yang begged any listening gods or ancestors that there would be something useful in there, other than the tiny band-aids that barely covered a scratch.

The stench of copper filled the air further, the blood on her bicep drying up fast as she found some alcohol wipes, a good bit of stitching wire, and a large strip of bandage.

Yang’s senses were alight as she wiped her wound down. No matter how many times it happened, she would never get used to the fiery sting of alcohol seeping into a wound. It was even worse when she first pressed the needle in and by that point Ruby had rocketed into the driver’s seat. Yang grit her teeth mentally and physically. She didn’t like letting her little sister see her in pain.

“I barricaded the door, and I found some good stuff upstairs and-- oh my god--” Ruby’s sentence was cut off as she paled at the sight of Yang stitching herself up as she bit her own lip so hard she drew blood. The pain was fucking excruciating.

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, clearly fighting back vomit and acid.

“I will be, sis. Just get us out of here.” Yang smiled through the pain, trying to ignore the sweat that was slipping into her eyes.

Ruby got the engine going as fast as she could, speeding away from the horror of the mansion with the weird insignias. Yang tried to focus on properly stitching up her wound, but her mind kept drifting to the rotter pit.

Who the fuck would do such a thing? Why did such a thing exist?

Yang was on the borderline of being deathly curious, and not wanting to know at all. Frankly, she didn’t even want to be within twenty kilometers of anyone who set that hellish pit up. She was brought back to the present when she tugged on the stitching a little too hard, causing her to groan in pain.

“You good, Yang?”

“I’m fine. Just done it a little too tight -- it’ll be fine.” Yang bit the last chunk of stitching off, before throwing that and the needle into the first aid kit. Gross. She’d deal with it later. On went the bandage and off went the stench of blood as they drove further away from the mansion.

“What did you find upstairs?”

“Cans of food, mainly. A canister of gas, too, which was amazing.”

“Who leaves an entire canister of gas upstairs? Did you see a generator?”

“Nah, which was weird. It was like… they just got up and left everything behind.”

“Huh.” Yang hummed, pressing her forehead against the glass of the truck as she counted her breaths.

Ruby pulled the vehicle alongside some train tracks, keeping to the flat and stable road.  Ruby apparently had a lead foot again, considering how fast the scenery was going by. Yang shoved the first aid kit back into it’s original place and let out a long sigh, letting the vibrations of the truck lull her into some peace. That was, until Ruby broke the silence.

“Seriously though, Yang,” Ruby’s voice was all gentleness and no bite, “are you okay? That was… that was not good.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, sis, I won’t be leaving ya,” to placate her sibling, Yang reached over with her good arm and ruffled her hair. “We did good today, Coco, and everybody else back in the safety zone, will be celebrating when we bring back our hoard.”

The mansion wasn’t the first stop, but rather the last of a series of hunts on the way back to the safety zone. They were scavengers, and this is what they did best. The greatest part? They only had to rely on each other.

Settling back down into her seat, Yang let Zwei curl up into her lap. It was going to be a long drive back, so she figured a nap wouldn’t hurt. She deserved it. Ruby would wake her if she needed anything. With that, she closed her eyes, and let the ambient sounds take her into sleep.

\--------

_“Ruby!”_

_“Daddy!”_

_Fear. The pulsing sensation of ice and the horrid numbness of it all. Eyes wide and full of fear. The taste of salt and iron, maybe copper. Her head hurt and her mind was blank like a sheet of paper._

_“I’m sorry… I couldn’t do it...”_

_Closer now. Closer and closer._

_The sound of a gunshot--_

_“No!”_

_“Mom! Mom no!”_

_Gunpowder. Wetness._

_\--------_

The sound of a train screeching by startled Yang out of her nightmare, cold sweat beading down her forehead as her fingers grasped for any weapon nearby. As she opened her sleep crusted eyes she saw a train at breakneck speeds whizzing past, its carriages rocking as it pushed its limits, taking some unknown cargo to some unknown location.

Ruby hammered on the brakes, swerving their van away from the rail. When the vehicle had finally come to a hard stop, the train had already careened off into the distance.

“Oh my god, Rubes, I about had a heart attack. _Jesus_.”

Ruby had opened her mouth just as an ear-bleeding crash happened, the sound of metal grinding against metal causing blinding pain right down to the cochleas. Then came the plumes of smoke in the distance, neither sister able to look away.

They had just watched a train derail and horribly crash. Both of them thought they might still be half asleep.

A few seconds passed and the sisters looked at each other before bailing out of their vehicle, Yang with her binoculars in hand, and Ruby with her sidearm at the ready. The blond scurried on top of the truck for a better view.

“I want to check for survivors Yang and then see if we can raid it.” Ruby said, always hopeful and full of kindness, even for currently fictional train passengers.

Yang acknowledged her sister with a grunt, too focused on adjusting her binoculars.

She could see smoke from at least two miles away as she looked through her binoculars. The smell of burnt flesh and coal they’d already noticed from a mile away. It smelled fucking horrible, like someone had forgotten to empty out the goddamn outhouse again and let the shit simmer in the summer heat. So, in a word, bad.

“How’s it look Yang?” Ruby’s voice called out from below, mixing with the sound of Zwei panting excessively. Her voice was cheerful and dripping with honey as always, despite the carnage of the day.

“Eh, bad.” She shrugged, peeking over the top of their van to look at her sister. Yang brought her arm up to wipe sweat off her brow, struggling to get the liquid off onto her hydrophobic leather jacket.

“We’ll be fine though. Take it slow and steady as usual. I think we can manage without guns.” Yang grinned, receiving a great big smile from Ruby in response. Zwei tilted his black, furry head in confusion. There weren’t too many rotters around. It was likely that the sound of the train derailment hadn’t yet conjured them up yet, meaning they would need to move quickly to salvage the wreckage before they had a horde on their hands.

The rotters that had appeared though, seemed to be falling out of some of the tipped over cars, like a wound bleeding pus. Ruby beside her had swapped out her pistol, and chucked over Yang’s melee weapon of choice. Once they were on her fists, she felt like she could never be more prepared.

“I count about twenty of ‘em.” Yang hopped off the top of the van, reinforced boots making contact with hard dirt and rocks with a clank. She pounded her fists together before they started off, making sure the van was in a secure location before they left it behind, not that Zwei would let anyone who wasn't them get near it. Ruby had her machete out and Yang had her spiked knuckles resting on her fists, worn iron and steel honed to razor points. Both weapons had served the two well, the girls having long stopped counting how many dead brains they’d splattered with them.

They both gave each other a look before pulling their bandannas over their mouths, signalling that they were both ready to move in. Yang always thought it was kind of a bummer that the rotters weren’t able to appreciate how awesome her yellow skull bandana was. If she was going to get killed by someone, she’d want it to be someone who looked as cool as she did.

The train was about twelve cars long, not massive by any means. Transportation by train was becoming more common, as more and more old rails were restored by clever engineers. It was a comparatively safe way to travel when you had rotters to worry about, but if the wreck was any indication, it was not without peril.

Yang moved in stealthily to what appeared to be the fifth train car, grabbing a zombie from behind and shoving its face into an exposed piece of scrap metal. She only barely managed to avoid getting gross chunks in her beastly golden mane (which she refused to cut despite multiple suggestions from friends and family). Ruby was taking the train car in front of her, the distinct sound of corpses smacking against the floor coming from the iron container in front of her. Yang pushed open a window on the ceiling and climbed on top of the train, brute upper body strength easily propelling her to the top. Ruby appeared shortly afterward on the roof of the car she had cleared, bright smile dissonant against the blood she was now covered in.

“Gross.” Yang pinched her nose in mock disgust. Ruby just rolled her eyes. She didn't share Yang’s penchant for cleanliness in the apocalypse.

“Find anything?” Ruby asked, chin in her hands.

“Nothing actually.” Yang glanced back down at the car. There hadn't been anything in the container, which was somewhat strange. Why send a train out if you weren't shipping anything? There didn't even appear to be any people on board either. It didn't matter ultimately, but it left Yang feeling unsettled.

“Me neither.” Ruby started heading toward the front of the train, towards the car that would theoretically hold the conductor, if there was one. Yang followed dutifully. It was always safe to follow Ruby after all.

Her sister paused as they moved forward, tilting her head forward. “Do you… hear something?”

A thumping began, then a pounding, and a shrill shriek rang out, muffled by steel and the moaning of rotters. The sisters didn't need to communicate what to do next. They ran to the front, hopping with precision over the train cars as the screaming grew more hurried and intense. Once at the front, the two each took one of the windows on the sides and slid in, shocked with the display they were greeted with. A girl with deep black hair, about Yang’s age, was desperately trying to keep the door that led into the engine room shut as rotten fingers and grasping, moldy hands tried to pry through. Blood trickled down a large laceration on her side and her amber eyes were full of fear and horror.

“It's okay, we’re gonna help you!” Yang quickly ran to the girl's side and threw her body weight against the door, severing several of the dead limbs that had been trying to claw their way through. Ruby ran forward and helped push the door shut as well, the three of them combined managing to shut the steel portal and pull the lever lock down with a horrendous metal on metal screech.

“Phew, just in time, huh?” Ruby sighed, turning to the mystery girl they'd saved. Or so they thought at least. She collapsed onto the floor, likely from a combination of exhaustion and blood loss. Yang hopped down to her side and immediately examined her wound as Ruby tried to open the main door from inside the locomotive.

“It's stuck Yang. We’ll have to go out through the windows!” The younger sister wasted no time and promptly kicked out the glass (already mangled and broken from the crash) from the front window. She used the back of her machete to try and smooth out the exit so that their mystery girl wouldn't get too many unnecessary wounds on her way out.

“We need to cauterize this when we get back to the van. I don't have what I need to stitch it, including time. I think I used the last of the stitching too.” Yang easily scooped the girl up bridal style and with Ruby’s help, managed to the girl out through the window. Once outside they readjusted, Yang slinging the girl back in her arms and Ruby taking point.

“Oh boy. I think they heard her screaming Yang.” Ruby tightened the grip on her machete.

“It's okay.” Yang smiled brightly, despite her quickening pulse as a small horde of rotters started to approach them, finally having arrived to hunt for fresh meat at the site of the crash.

“We’ve done this tons of times before. Ready?”

Ruby swallowed and fresh sweat broke out on her brow as Yang approached her, standing close enough that the two were touching.

“I'll be okay Ruby. Let's walk carefully, step by step. Breathe in, breathe out…”

Yang could never fault her sister for her fear when they walked through a horde together. She herself needed the reassurance as much as Ruby did. No matter how many times they did it, it would be fraught with peril and pounding hearts. Her blood felt warm under her skin.  

Her sister had quite the unique talent which became more and more evident as they headed back to their van, slowly and in in tandem with each other. The horde passed by them, jaws dropping and organs falling out onto the ground with long, drawn out squelches and slurps, dirtying otherwise pristine forest grass. Pale bloodshot eyes would occasionally glance at Yang or the girl she was holding before turning away, feet taking them to the train car like gears on a conveyor belt. It was like they were invisible.

Well, it was like _Ruby_ was invisible. Rotters would just walk past her like she wasn't even there; like she was one of them. If you were lucky enough to be her older sister that meant you stayed safe too, provided you were close enough. It was also unfortunately the reason Yang had to bribe the inspectors every month so that they wouldn't take her sister away. They'd never let her stay if they found the old bite mark.

“You're doing great Rubes, we’re almost there.” Yang said in a practiced, steady tone. Their feet fell together in perfect sync and Yang could feel the tension start to lift off of her sister as the approached the edge of the horde. Once they were out they could hoof it back to the van and get mystery girl some first aid. She certainly was looking worse for wear.

The color was draining out around her asian features and she was starting to mumble words under her breath. Never a good sign, really.

“... I'm sorry… Adam.. s-sorry…”

As the sisters left the horde their pace picked up measurably. It didn't take them long to get back to the van, which was being dutifully guarded by Zwei. He gave the girls a good sniffing, beady eyes trained on their mystery girl.

“It's good she's still unconscious. Makes this part a little easier.” Yang hauled their hefty first aid kit out of the back of the van and crouched down next to the still mumbling girl.

“Who do you think she's talking about?” Ruby was crouched down next to the girl’s mouth.

“Well, she won't be talking for much longer.” Yang gave Ruby a stick to fit into the girl's mouth. They had no way of knowing if she would wake up during their first aid, but better safe than sorry. They didn't want to also have to treat a bleeding tongue. The two carefully pulled the girl's top off in an almost rehearsed motion, having received plenty of practice through their lives just trying to survive.

“Damn, girl's had a hard life.” Yang gave a low whistle. Aside from the roughly three inch long gash on her side, mystery girl’s torso was littered with scars, cuts, and bruises, as well as a bandage wrapped around her entire neck, the padding thick on the back. Such wounds were an indication of someone who spent a lot of time outside the safety of a secure zone, like Yang and Ruby did for work.

“Okay, heat up your machete.”

Ruby did so dutifully using a blowtorch they kept for whatever random occasion while Yang carefully cleaned the gash as best she could, dabbing the edges with an alcohol soaked rag. Mystery girl hissed around the stick in her mouth, apparently not quite out of it enough to ignore the pain.

“Ready when you are.” Ruby returned with a now sanitized red hot piece of metal that made Yang feel like she was standing next to the sun. She'd been on the receiving end of a cauterization before as well, the memory making her feel more than a little sorry for their black haired beauty. The blond nodded and closed the gash as much as she could, before moving out of the way so Ruby could press the metal against the girl's abdomen. Ruby winced as the girl's first screams rang out, piercing shrieks that begged for a stop. Yang felt for her sister; even after all they had been through the younger girl still hated causing pain to anyone, in any form. Mystery girl would have been as good as dead if they hadn't though. She tried her best to muffle the girl's cries, not wanting to attract the mess of rotters they had just left behind. It made her conscience feel a bit better too.

“A-are we taking her back with us?” Ruby stammered, finally able to pull her machete away from the wound. The smell of burnt flesh made Yang’s nose twitch and Ruby’s eyes water. You never really got used to it.

“Of course. We can't just leave her.”

“Will they let her in? I don't see any identification with her.”

“Just leave it to me. They can't say no to my pretty face.” Yang winked, hauling mystery girl into the van. She flopped onto the back seats, passed out and entirely unconscious to the world around them.

The sisters hopped back into the van, this time with Yang driving, and floored it away from the mess of the train crash and the horde of rotters hoping for fresh food. The tires kicked up dust, and they were away. Ahead of them, the sun had just gone past its apex, signalling the start of the hottest part of the day.

Trees whizzed past, the occasional bird and animal cooed or howled, and Yang tried to focus solely on the road and making sure she didn’t crash, instead of the mystery girl who had apparently been on a train on her own that was probably transporting rotters.

Simply thinking about it was giving Yang a headache, and with the day being more or less terrible, she hoped that tomorrow would be better.

At least Ruby was by her side.

\--------

The ride had been long and thankfully quiet. The only noise came from the truck’s CD player, and the occasional rotter than they passed, instead of the veritable horde they managed to walk through. The mystery girl they had picked up had been passed out the entire time, probably from a combination of pain, stress and overtiredness.

They drove past the tent cities and refugee camps that stunk to high heaven all the way down to the deepest pits of hell. Every single person looked like they hadn’t washed in days, or were suffering from some kind of severe loss, and both Ruby and Yang felt for every single one of them.

The bullshit hoops one had to jump through just to get basic human needs in the safety zone was disgusting and they hated it. But, they were not the governors, or the ruling family, and there was nothing they could do about it.

As they pulled up to the outer security wall, Yang flicked open the metal hatch on her door and gestured at Ruby to do the same. She lowered her aviators, and produced the necessary documents and IDs.

“Heya! Do we have to do this _every_ time we roll up? You know who we are and what we do.” She put on the best charming smile she could and not to toot her own horn, but it could make most girls swoon.

“Ms. Xiao Long.” The guard greeted her with about as much enthusiasm as a dead rat cooking on the side of the road. “We have to do this every time because those are the rules.” His eyes looked into the vehicle, checking for anything that cannot be allowed through. “Do you have anything to declare?”

“Nope.”

“Not even the girl sleeping on your backseat?”

“Absolutely not.” Yang said, flashing an even brighter grin. “Can you let us through? We managed to find some great items on today’s hunt, and we’d love to get them to Coco as soon as. There’s even some alcohol and cigarettes.” She waggled her eyebrows as emphasis.

“If you can produce her ID and documents, we can let her in. If not, she’ll have to get in line and camp outside with the rest of the vagrants.”

Instead of gripping the steering wheel tighter, she dramatically yawned, making sure her shirt rode up her stomach to show off her abs. She also stretched, to show off her guns (even the wounded one). Then, she pulled out her actual shotgun and rested it on her lap. Every few seconds she’d scratch the safety on it.

Beside her, Ruby put on her best convincing face too, which seemed to be the watery puppy dog eyes and sharpening her machete at the same time. Zwei also started whining.

“Are you sure you really want to do that? It’s been a long day, officer, and it’s going to be hot all the way through the night. _One_ person who’s going to be under our watch at all times isn’t going to be like letting a bunch of smuggled rotters in. Come on now.”

“ _Please?_ ” Ruby chimed in. “Pretty please with all the cherries on top?” Her lower lip began to tremble too, which seemed to break the last wall of the officer’s defences.

“Fine. If this comes back to bite me in the ass, I’m slashing your tires, burning your documents, and kicking you out from the Safety Zone.”

“You’re the best, officer. Remember to hit up Coco’s tonight!” Yang gave the officer a two fingered salute after receiving her documents back, before leaving him in a cloud of dust. She didn’t want him to rescind on his favour.

In the distance, Yang saw the simultaneous gaudy and refined sign that advertised their home. That, and the plethora of armed guards and wall defences that surrounded every inch of it’s territory.

The sign read, as always, ‘SCHNEE SAFETY ZONE’ and Yang felt a little smile creep up on her face.

“We’re home, Yang.”

“We survived once again.”


	2. She

Smells. Good smells. A far, far cry from the smell of decaying flesh and fresh blood. She could smell garlic sautéing with onions slowly, releasing a delicious fragrance that almost made her feel like she was back home with her parents again, waiting for her dad and mom to finish cooking a soothing meal. 

Her eyes flickered open slowly, struggling against dry corneas and crust. She took in her surroundings and the hot pain in her side, quickly realizing she had no idea where she was. She reached for the knife that was normally strapped to her thigh and found nothing, not even the pants she usually wore. Save for a rough wool blanket draped over her, she was completely naked, covered in dirt and blood and god knew what else. She clenched her fists and instinctively pulled the blanket up to her mouth like a child. Blake had to force herself to take the situation apart logically. The lack of chains meant she was probably not in the company of slavers. The room she was in appeared to be the bedroom of an old city apartment, judging by the rusty fire escape latched outside the murky window. It was evening and a breeze escaped through holes in the latched shut window. A padlock kept it from being opened, likely a precautionary measure against thieves and unsavoury jackasses.

The room itself was shockingly… cozy. A bookshelf was in the corner full of torn up paperbacks and moldy but well loved hard covers. Christmas lights were strung from the ceiling, though no electricity appeared to be running through them. Some old kpop poster was taped above a large bunk bed, which looked like it might topple over at any moment,  as well as the young girl resting in the top bunk, snoozing peacefully and comfortably under a comforter covered in rose patterns.

Blake hissed as she rose from the couch she'd been put on, a bright pain surging out from her side. She gingerly touched the injury with her fingers and held back another hiss as she examined the fresh wound. A bandage reeking of alcohol was over it, spotted with blood and pus. She must have been injured badly when the train crashed.  

The train had crashed. That bastard had tricked her, tried to kill her. The car behind the locomotive had zombies trapped within it and an explosive device strapped underneath the carriage that had derailed the entire train.

Regardless of what happened, she had to escape. If this girl and whoever was cooking knew anything about the cult they'd have killed her on the spot. There was still time to get away.

A machete lay on a vanity in the corner and Blake quickly moved quickly to grab it, lifting it with two hands from blade to hilt to make as little noise as possible. The girl in the bed was still sound asleep and hadn't turned at all as Blake moved like a cat towards the exit. Light seeped through the bottom the the door, as did the soft humming of an old pop song. She could hear a metal or wooden spoon stirring and vegetables sizzling. If Blake was being quite honest, it smelled  _ unbelievable.  _ Her stomach roared uselessly in protest, begging Blake for food she couldn't provide. The woman on the other side of the door had a pleasant sounding voice; it was a shame she'd likely need to threaten her to escape.

She held her breath and turned the doorknob, all the way till it wouldn't go further, and pushed the wooden door gently, like a child trying not to wake their parents after hours.

The woman hadn't noticed her, still blissfully ignorant of Blake’s presence as she cooked by candle light.

Her bare feet felt cold against the old linoleum floor of the kitchen. The place was in fairly nice condition, considering it had weathered an apocalypse. The front door was locked with a deadbolt and a few extra, haphazardly strung locks. The other room was a bathroom, the door slightly ajar. She paced towards the woman, trying to hold onto the machete with an increasingly sweaty grip. The door would remain shut unless she had the woman unlock it for her. Even if she could remove the locks, there was no way she could do it before she was spotted.

She drew closer to the woman, taking in her tall, stocky figure. She was built like a tank, scars and dings on her arms and legs. An orange tank top and an absolute mop of blond hair covered her back, but she only had a pair of boy shorts on her lower half. Blake became suddenly more aware of the fact that she herself was still naked.

In a quick motion, she brought the machete to the woman's neck from behind and covered her mouth with her hand, fingers pressed hard against a pair of soft lips.

“Don't move, and don't fight back.” Blake whispered, jerking the machete slightly in a show of dominance. A bit of the blond’s blood dribbled down onto the blade.

“Can you open the door?” Blake asked, turning both their bodies to face the door. The blond spoke something unintelligible behind Blake’s hand and shrugged casually. She didn't seem afraid at all and wasn't fighting back in the slightest.

“Open it. If you cry for that other girl I'll kill you both.” Slowly, she pulled her hand off of the woman’s mouth and pulled the machete away.

“Jesus Christ.” The stocky girl rubbed her neck, pulling away a pair of red fingers. Blake was surprised that she was trying to keep her voice down as well.  

“Don't you at least want some dinner first?” The blond turned around and immediately flushed red from head to toe, eyes lingering a little too long in certain  _ strategic  _ places.

“Oh crap I forgot you’re- we-” she waved her hands around. “We didn't do anything, we were just checking for bites and-”

“Open the door!” Blake growled, louder than she should have, shoving the machete towards the now very flustered woman. She felt her own cheeks lighting up as a consequence and made a somewhat useless attempt to cover up with her free arm.

“Let me get you some clothes! You can't go outside naked!”

“Open the damn door!”

“Yang, what's going on?” Blake screamed internally and turned to see the younger woman stumbling out of the bedroom in what was frankly, an adorable pair of pajamas, and a very, very angry looking… corgi. It growled and hissed at her.

“Go back to bed Rubes it’s fine!” ‘Yang’ said with a smile that had to be forced. “Actually- can you get some clothes for our guest? She's uh…”

The blond stole another glance at her, somehow turning even redder than before.

“Definitely something. I mean uh-”

“Zwei stop barking!” The younger girl crouched down and soothed the dog, getting a big sloppy kiss on the side of her face.

_ What the hell is wrong with you people?  _ Blake wanted to scream. This was not how a hostage/escape situation was supposed to go down.

“Look, we saved you from the train crash.” ‘Yang’ explained, scurrying past Blake, who was too dumbfounded to do anything, into the bedroom where she hastily grabbed a few clothes off the floor.

“You can put this on. So you aren't uh-”

She stole yet another glance, Blake finding it hard not to slap her for acting so  _ interested.  _ She didn't want any stranger staring at her, man or woman.

She was convinced at this point that neither of these girls meant her any harm, though she didn't trust them as far as she could throw them. Blake grabbed the clothes and immediately started pulling over a large tank top and a pair of sweatpants, thankful that she was finally able to put some damn clothes on.

“So you did this?” Blake gestured to her side, where a previously non existent burn resided. 

“You were bleeding out.” The younger girl chimed in this time. “I'm sorry. It probably hurts. We’re running low on painkillers but you can have some if you want-”

“Ruby.” The older girl cut her off. That was supposed to be a secret, apparently. Blake didn't really care. 

“Where am I?” She asked, stealing glances at the door and making note of whatever in the room could be used as a weapon. Threat or no threat, she needed to leave. The machete was still near her, within grabbing distance. The blond had no weapons and neither did ‘Ruby’, but she was close to a knife rack. 

“Schnee safe zone.” Yang chirped, face returning to a normal color now that Blake was covered. “We smuggled you in. You’ll have to stay here a couple days while we get some papers forged.”

“That's too much time.” Blake groaned. She didn't know what to do. Neither of the girls had made any mention to the tattoo on her forehead, so they either didn't know where she was from or were playing dumb. She supposed it was possible the Schnee zone was far out enough that news of the cult's actions hadn't been spread yet; it'd become common knowledge in Haven. 

“Well, too bad.” Yang shrugged again, lackadaisical attitude evident. “You're not supposed to be here. You want some stew or what?”

Blake made a desperate choice. 

“Fine.”

“Hope you like beans!”

“Ooh, Yang’s white bean stew is the best!”

The two girls scuttled over to the kitchen counter, where Yang put the finished touches on the soup over a propane powered stove. There was an older, wood burning stove in the corner as well. The younger girl gestured for her to sit down at a rusty metal table in the corner of the room, that had just enough chairs for four people. 

“So what's your name mystery girl?” Yang brought two bowls over to the table before going back for herself. The tableware was an eclectic set of mismatching ceramics and plastics. Ruby dug in almost immediately, inhaling the savory smelling soup in massive gulps. Blake had to wonder if she was even trying to taste it. 

She remained silent, awkwardly staring at the stew before her. Her stomach growled in protest. 

“Well, I’m Yang. Yang Xiao Long. Ruby's older sister.” The blonde sat down at the table, offering Blake a firm looking handshake. 

“Oh, I’m Ruby Rose!” The girl paused between scoops of beans and veggies to introduce herself. 

Blake took Yang’s hand and was shocked at how warm it was. Her knuckles were bruised and well worn, with rough callouses living on her palms. 

“I assume you're the one who undressed me?” Blake asked dryly, pulling her hand away. 

“Oh- uh, it was both of us really, you know just standard procedure and everything. I didn't really care at all- wait, not that I'm saying you're not pretty-”

“Blake.” She cut Yang off before the poor girl spiraled out. Ruby snorted into her soup. 

“I'm Blake Belladonna.” She gently stirred her soup before taking a sip, subconsciously cautious of any hints of poison. To her surprise, it was just as delicious as it smelt, and it took everything in her not to pick up the bowl and drink it as fast as humanly possible. It was the best meal she’d had in a long time.

“Go on, eat up. No such thing as table manners here, you must be starving.” Yang picked up her own bowl and began to take large gulps, her neck bobbing as she swallowed the liquid.

Well, if she couldn’t beat them, she might as well join them. She wolfed down the soup, her stomach thanking her every second it actually had a chance to digest something and have actual energy.

And, well, she could be in a far worse situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been over two months, what. blink and time goes faster like shit off a shovel
> 
> here's two smallish chapters that we're happy with! this was originally one big chapter, but it flowed SO much better like this
> 
> see you around, intrepid readers, and remember: don't mix beer and spirits when drinking


	3. Attitude

_ ONE WEEK LATER _

She felt bold, powerful, like an impenetrable fortress built on a solid foundation of rotter bones and steel. 

Weiss felt that way for about ten seconds before the crippling fear and regret set in. 

She passed down the final step of the Schnee estate, forcing herself to not take another look back. Today was supposed to be her day of emancipation, but it was starting to feel more like a day of execution. 

She gripped the note Winter had given her tightly, her sister’s gorgeous handwriting spelling out an address on the south side of the safety zone.

 

_ When you get there, ask for Branwen’s niece. They'll have have the paperwork you need to get started. Be safe Weiss. _

__ \- Winter Schnee _ _

 

Her feet carried her through the city like gears on an assembly line. She was shocked at how lively everything was. Oftentimes she never left the estate, whether on her father’s wishes or the fear of the outside that had been instilled in her at a young age. 

People bustled to and fro, looking dirty and mangled, yet still somehow full of life and joy. Kids ran through the streets playing with makeshift toys and dogs that looked like they had more than a few diseases. Everyone gave her strange looks, likely due to the white linens and cotton clothes she wore, as well as the fine sword she had sheathed at her side. Comparatively, she was dressed like a princess. 

She kept her head raised for the most part the rest of her trip, trying to channel a sense of Schnee regality. They respected her after all. Or so she hoped. The Schnee safe zone was the most successful and safest of any city and she would work hard to make sure it stayed that way. Personally. 

Eventually her feet brought her to a stop in front of an old apartment building. She stood on the heels of her feet and knocked on the door three times, waiting for the building manager to come out. 

“Yeah?” A gruff looking old man appeared through the doorway, scratching the feeble remains of a once full head of hair. 

“I'm looking for Qrow Branwen’s niece.” Weiss responded, practiced and punctuated. 

“Oh. Right. Third floor. Name’s on the door; you're looking for Xiao Long.”

_ A Chinese name?  _ Weiss thanked the man and headed up the stairs, receiving only a gruff grunt in response. She swiftly moved up the stairs, excited to meet the girls that would comprise her team. They were recommended by Winter herself after all; they had to be the picture of heroes, strong, courageous, fearless-

“Get off of me you stupid dog!”

“Zwei get off of Blake!”

“Aw, he's just trying to give her kisses Yang!”

“And I’m just trying to throw him out the window!”

Oh. Oh no. The door was already wide open, revealing a scene of chaos. Some black haired girl (that Weiss wasn't told about) was trying to run from a corgi (that Weiss wanted to be friends with fo-eva), in a small apartment while a blond haired girl (that had only a towel wrapped around her) tried to calm down the black haired girl while a younger looking girl (that was laughing her ass off) tried to placate the dog with treats. 

“Please tell me you're not Yang Xiao Long.”

The scene seemed to immediately stop like a photograph being taken. All their heads turned to face her, even the dog’s. A flush went up Weiss’s cheeks and she was about to express her disappointment when the redhead fell from her laugh-induced precarious position.

The meaty thud shocked everyone out of their reverie, bringing them back to the present.

“Jesus, you know how to knock?” The blonde said while scrambling to her sister, holding her towel closed in one hand and the other resting on Ruby’s shoulder.

“I’m good Yang, just… ouch,” Ruby let out another giggle.

“Wait, you  _ are  _ Yang Xiao Long?” Weiss was so close to just shutting the door and leaving the chaos behind, but this was her  _ one  _ opportunity.

Sitting up now, Ruby was the one who talked first.

“Honestly, depends on who’s asking. If you're like, health inspectors or something, we’re  _ totally  _ good and we’re all totally legal I swear,” at this the black haired girl seemed to walk backwards into the shadows, “just… who are you first?”

Weiss squared her shoulders and fixed her posture. Good posture, better manners, best person. “Weiss Schnee, second in line for running this safe zone. I am looking for one Yang Xiao Long.”

“You’re looking at her.” Oh no. It was this group after all.

“I… honestly expected someone my sister referred to in the highest regards to be properly dressed.”

“Hey Rubes, what's the main rule in this apartment?”

“Don’t shit the bed?” Weiss winced.

“No, the other one.”

“Oh! No chill, no service, pants optional.”

“Must you be… so childish?” Weiss felt her anxiety slowly slip away and turn into disgust. 

“Hey, you want in, abide by the rules. Rubes, put the tea on, I’m going to get dressed. Blake, just-”

Blake had already left, the bedroom door shutting behind her.

“Neeeevermind then.” Yang followed after her, entering the bedroom as well.

Ruby hopped up, like she didn't eat floor, and scampered over to the stove. “Come in! Take your shoes off if you want, it’s no problem. Oh, and shut the door behind you, don't worry about the locks yet. Do you like tea? Everyone likes tea.”

“What kind of tea?”

“Hang on,” Ruby leaned backwards, looking at the bathroom door. “Yang! Do you want the bo lei we scavenged or nah?”

The shouting made Weiss flinch, but she kept her cool. They were not her father. They weren't like that. As strange as they were, Winter had given them her seal of approval.

Yang’s head popped out the door. “Uh, hell yeah we should crack out the bo lei. We got guests to share with and all too.”

“ _ Heck yes, bo lei.” _

“You like Chinese tea, Weiss?” Weiss stared at Ruby, slightly dumbfounded at her for using her name so informally, like a friend. “Oh… uh, sorry, I mean Ms. Schnee. It sounds like you're gonna be a client and everything.”

“Yes. I do quite like tea, but I usually have the European sort.” Chinese tea this far west surprised her; when the apocalypse hit, the import/export industry died and commodities of the last age became the luxuries of the new world.

“You’re gonna have your socks blown clean off then,” Weiss watched her perform an exaggerated arm gesture and let out a nervous giggle which quickly died. “Uh. Take a seat. I’m gonna brew it, Yang should be out within the hour hopefully.”

“The  _ hour _ ?”

“Well, she really likes brushing her hair.” 

The kettle resting on the stove started to whistle, steam escaping from the nozzle. Ruby dutifully removed the kettle from the heat and placed the tea inside of it, funny little dried green strands. Weiss hardly ever had anything but Earl Grey, her father’s favorite tea.

Ruby brought the cups over, leaving two empty ones on the table for presumably, the other girls. 

“Here ya go! Enjoy.”

Weiss gladly took the cup, an adorable little porcelain vessel with tiny cracks littering the outer edges. The warmth from the cup felt great in her hands, despite the overwhelming heat outside. 

“It’s delicious.” Weiss said, taking a sip of the tea. Earthy and milky notes flooded her mouth and calmed her nerves. 

“Glad you like it!” Ruby smiled, a shockingly bright and warm gesture.

\-----

“Yang can you  _ please _  hurry up and put some clothes on?” 

“Well, if I could find my bra I would!” Yang laughed. Blake groaned in response, digging her head back into one of the sister’s old books they’d found. 

“I mean, I can  _ stay _  naked if you’re enjoying the show.”

“Wh-what?! Yang!” Blake’s cheeks turned tomato red and she buried her face even further into her book. 

The room fell quiet as Yang continued to scrounge up her clothes, most of which were thrown into a haphazard pile on her bunk. Weiss and Ruby’s voices quietly filtered through the door, muffled by the structure. 

“... you’re not really going to take a job from her, are you?” Blake’s quiet voice asked.

“Mm, I don’t really see why not.” Yang hummed, pulling a shirt over her now restrained chest. “If she really is a Schnee then she’ll probably pay really well. Why, what’s wrong?”

“I just don’t… care for her kind very much.” Blake sighed, placing her book down onto her knees now that Yang’s strategic bits were covered. 

“Her  _ kind? _ ” Yang chuckled and sat down next to Blake on the bed, lacing up her combat boots. 

“You know what I mean.” Blake said with a huff. “Rich people. Upper class. They make a living off the hard work of others Yang. I don’t even know why she’s here. They have plenty of servants to do their dirty work.”

“Without the Schnees, we wouldn’t even have a safety zone and that’s just as bad. I’d rather have a place where Ruby and I can sleep and if I have to work a dangerous job to do it, I’ll take it.”

Blake didn’t respond, but was clearly irritated. 

“Hey, it’s a bummer to see such a pretty girl frown!” Yang pushed her own cheeks up with her fingers in a mock smile. 

“Pretty huh?” Blake rolled her eyes.

“Yeah.” Yang winked. “Pretty sassy at least.”

The blond left the bed first, trailed by Blake’s eyes that lingered on her broad back.

\-----

A solid 30 minutes later, Blake and Yang entered into the kitchen. Blake was beet red, and Yang looked well kept as ever. Her hair was tamed back, as much as it could be anyway, and she was prepared for some brief professionalism.

“Thanks for waiting,” Yang started, pulling up a chair to the table. Without being asked, she poured everyone - or refilled up - their tea, and made sure everyone had taken a sip before doing so herself.

“I assume you’re ready, now?” Weiss felt a little bit impatient, if she were honest. “And I thought there were two Branwen nieces, not three.”

“Oh!” Ruby exclaimed. “Blake’s a… friend. Who we’re considering bringing onto our hunts. Yes. Ha, ha…” Ruby’s laughter was awkward, and petered off into a mumble as she slurped her tea.

“I pray you’re competent.” Weiss said. Ruby’s lie was as transparent as her mother’s bed drapes. 

Blake said something under her breath, directly into her tea, along the lines of ‘ _ at least I’ve actually been outside the walls _ ’, that only Yang heard. The blond kicked her new companion in the leg under the table. 

“ _ Excuse _ me?” Now, Weiss was affronted. Blake’s tone had been anything but kind. 

“Nothing.” Blake quickly said, unwavering at Weiss’s glare.

“What’s the job then? Manhunt? Item retrieval?” Yang asked, bringing the conversation back on track. There was already a sharp tension between Blake and Weiss: she had no idea what it stemmed from, but both the sisters felt it was nothing good, sharing a concerned look.

“Oooh, what if was  _ both? _ ” Ruby smiled.

Before either of the sisters could prattle on further, Weiss spoke. “I am in need of a certain item. There can be no mistakes; this is incredibly important to everyone. Which is why I needed the best: you two.” Weiss purposefully excluded Blake.

“... And the item is?”

“Nothing you need to know. All you need to know is that it’s important, and in a very dangerous location.”

“How are we supposed to find something if we don’t know what it is?” Ruby asked the rather obvious question on everyone’s mind.

“I’ll be happy to give you further details once we depart from the safety zone.” It was hardly a good answer, but it was the best Weiss felt she could give. Her eyes rested on Blake. 

“The three of us that is.”

“Hey, Blake’s perfectly capable of heading out with us.” Yang rapped her fingers on the table. “Besides, if it’s as dangerous as you’re saying, I’d feel better with the extra manpower.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just stay here.” Blake sighed. She’d already been stuck in the apartment for a few days while Yang and Ruby arranged her documents. The day prior was her first time outside since they’d rescued her. 

“Nah, you should come.” Yang nudged her with a wink. “Seriously.” 

Weiss wrinkled her nose. 

“After all Blake, once you check off your first successful outing we can get you your official scavenger’s license.”

“I guess it’s fine.” Weiss finally gave in. “But I expect the utmost out of all of you. Fail, and it’s bad news.”  _ For all of us _ , Weiss added internally. The human race could not deal with another mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the last of the updates for now!
> 
> what does Weiss want to get so bad? why is Blake so dramatic? does Yang's homosexuality know now bounds? why is Ruby so brilliant? do I need more alcohol? who knows!
> 
> thanks for reading, and remember: czechoslovakia before you wreckyoslovakia
> 
> also it looks like all the chapter titles are gonna be named off Misfits songs, good horror punk band 10/10 would recommend

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to the party! we got gore, aesthetic, and homosexuality
> 
> this is a fun project Pokeh and I are doing because apocalypse AUs are fantastic if you can execute them well, and hopefully our love for this AU translates well on paper
> 
> the title for both fic and chapter are Misfits songs, which is an absolutely fantastic band that is thoroughly recommended
> 
> hey, maybe go check out our other works too? and hey, would you look at that, snapfreeze has a [fantastically long Bumbleby playlist too that's really good](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8H61Rw7bNf1cPpBXz6SSGUb5wSGhEKb) (wink wink)
> 
> skate fast, eat ass, see y'all next chapter


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